The present invention relates generally to baking pans and trays for industrial and commercial use, and more specifically to a baking tray that includes a reinforcing perimeter band having a novel geometry for imparting structural strength and stability to the tray.
Baking pans or trays are commonly used by producers of various baked goods that are supplied to restaurants and grocery stores. Because producers of baked goods often supply large quantities of baked goods to their customers, the trays such goods are baked on are reused many times and are repeatedly subjected to both high thermal and mechanical stresses. Baking pans are often stacked on top of one another, and it is common for a stack of baking pans to include more than fifty pans. Stacking pans in this manner creates significant pressure on the bottom pan in a stack, and the weight on the bottom pan may be 500 pounds or more. Thus, repeated use and repeated exposure to high temperatures and mechanical stress requires that an industrial baking tray be manufactured from a durable material such as steel or aluminum. Although manufacturing a baking tray from materials such as steel or aluminum does increase the lifespan of the tray repeated use, re-glazing, or other physical or chemical stressors eventually weakens the metal of the tray and cracks or fractures may appear in the metal surface of the tray. Once a tray has sustained such damage, it is no longer useable and must be discarded. Due to the expense of replacing industrial baking trays, additional features may be included to lend strength and stability, particularly when the tray is large in size.
One approach to adding strength and durability to large baking trays or pans has been the inclusion of a rigid metal band that is positioned around the entire upper edge of a baking tray or pan and held in place by rolling the top edge of the tray or pan outward and downward to partially or completely enclose the metal band. While effective for increasing the overall strength of the tray or pan, this metal band, which is typically solid steel, can add significant and undesirable weight to each tray or pan. Additionally, the use of such metal reinforcing bands may necessitate greater energy input with regard to reaching the temperatures required for effective and complete baking. To reduce weight and the energy input required when using industrial baking trays and pans, there is an ongoing need for a lightweight, yet effective structural reinforcement that is compatible with such items.